1. Field of Invention
The invention relates to straps and strap bindings for engaging snowboard boots.
2. Discussion of Related Art
Strap type bindings for securing a snowboarding boot of a rider to a snowboard are known and typically include one or more straps, such as an ankle strap and/or a toe strap, which may be incrementally tightened across the top of the boot to firmly secure the rider to the board. A conventional toe strap includes an elongated strip, slightly bowed, that extends across the top of the boot, leaving the rounded front end of the boot projecting beyond the edge of the toe strap so that it is not directly contacted by the toe strap when the boot is secured into the binding. Such a toe strap bears down on the top of the boot to prevent toe lift.
Some riders have modified the toe strap position so that rather than extending across the top of the boot, the strap runs around the front toe face of the boot. By sliding the toe strap forward and down, so that it abuts the forward-most surface of the snowboarding boot, and then tightening the strap, the snowboarding boot is cinched firmly back into the heel cup of the binding.
To allow a rider to simultaneously pull the boot back into the heel cup and prevent toe lift, cup-like toe straps have been developed, such as, for example, the Capstrap™ toe strap, available from Burton Snowboards, located in Burlington, Vt. These straps include a top surface that inhibits the toe area of the boot from rising vertically off the binding, and a front surface that constrains forward movement of the boot.